What is an ethical and environmental?
- All businesses have to consider environmental and ethical issues.
- The government has put in place strict policies and laws that dictate some of the ways businesses have to consider the environment.
What is ethical trade?
Ethics are moral value or beliefs that influence how an individual or society behaves. The Ethical Trading Initiative is a leading alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs that promotes respect for workers’ rights around the globe. Its vision is a world where all workers are free from exploitation and discrimination, and enjoy conditions of freedom, security and equity.
What is Fairtrade?
- Only use suppliers that have produced or obtained products in an ethical manner
- The fair trade symbol can be used
- A fair price has to be paid for the product or materials irrespective of the origin of the materials or product
- They are bound to treat their employees fairly and will have a commitment towards their welfare and health and safety
What is unethical trade?
Ethics are moral value or beliefs that influence how an individual or society behaves. The Ethical Trading Initiative is a leading alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs that promotes respect for workers’ rights around the globe. Its vision is a world where all workers are free from exploitation and discrimination, and enjoy conditions of freedom, security and equity.
What are the negative impacts business operations have on the environment?
- Air pollution
- Water pollution
- Contaminating land
- Traffic congestion
- Noise pollution
- Natural habitat destruction
What is minimise wastage?
- Ensuring employees are trained, ensuring machinery is kept in good condition and not overstocking.
- However training and machinery is costly which reduces a companies profit
- Business must ensure that they do not “dump” waste materials that could harm the environment or sending waste to landfill which again harms the environment.
- If they have dump they should do so in an environmentally friendly way or call in a specialist waste disposal company.
What good is recycling for an organisation?
- Business should recycle as much as possible.
- The use of coloured bins where re-usable material can be stored is useful in this process.
- Recycling can help to reduce a companies energy bill by re-using materials rather than buying new.
- It can reduce greenhouse gases by not having to extract new materials and by reducing materials we reduce transport.
- Good image for a company to be recycling and this can be used in promotional materials
What is minimise packaging?
- Only using the minimum packaging required
- Only using environmentally friendly packaging
- Minimising packaging reduces costs for businesses
Tesco and ASDA now have much more “loose” stock such as fruit and veg
What is pollution and emissions?
- Minimising use of harmful chemicals
- Disposing of harmful chemicals and products properly
- Businesses that do not dispose of chemicals properly will be fined and prosecuted by the government
- Should also be aware of traffic pollution. For example to reduce this encourage a car sharing scheme among the workforce.
- For deliveries operate a system that calculates the shortest route.
What is sustainable?
- Replacing raw materials for ones that have been used.
- For example: Andrex will plant a tree for every 1,000 toilet rolls manufactured
- Companies often have policies with regards to sustainable energy and use it in promotional materials
What should business do?
- Ensure any animals are given a high standard of animal welfare
- Providing information to the consumer
- Use renewable energy sources
- Adopt any other energy saving strategies
